TALIB KWELI
Ever since emerging as a member of Black Star in the late 1990s, Talib Kweli is one of the few artists making commercially viable music that matters. The Brooklyn bred rapper’s hard-hitting music has been able to educate and entertain simultaneously. So it is no wonder that at the peak of their fame, both Jay-Z and 50 Cent named Talib Kweli as one of their favorite rappers.

With Ear Drum, his first album released on his own Blacksmith Music and his sixth album overall, Kweli has delivered his career-defining work, a polished collection showcasing his advanced lyricism and his penchant for picking music that resonates long after the song ends. “The image of the ear and of the drum are powerful enough by themselves, but when you put them together, it’s an instrument that’s in your body that helps you hear,” he explains. “They’re also two very simple, yet powerful words. I wanted to focus on finding a sound that makes you move, and that’s where the word ‘Ear Drum’ popped in my head.”

Throughout Ear Drum, Kweli delivers powerful music that sparks your intellect and makes your body move. He teams with Reflection Eternal partner Hi-Tek on “More Or Less.” Over pounding drums and a minimalistic groove, Kweli makes brash declarations on how to improve music specifically and American society in general. “A statement like, we need ‘more rap songs that stress purpose/With less misogyny and less curses/Let’s put more depth in our verses,’ I haven’t made bold, blatant statements since that like ‘Manifesto.’ There are fans of mine that really appreciate those statements because there are times when those statements need to be made.”

An equally bold Ear Drum moment comes on “Country Cousins,” which features Kweli trading verses with UGK and Raheem DeVaughn. Over a soulful beat accented by brassy horns, Kweli, Bun B and Pimp C talk about the reality of their experiences growing up in New York and Texas, respectively. “People have the perception of what an East Coast artist sounds like, who he’s supposed to be listening to and what he likes, and what a Down South artist sounds like,” Kweli explains. “There’s preconceived notions and that’s really what the song with Bun and Pimp C is about, the preconceived notions between East Coast artists and Down South artists.”

Throughout Ear Drum, Kweli makes a point to explore new topics, collaborate with a variety of artists and rap over distinctively innovative production. It is part of Kweli’s growth as an artist and as a person. “We need to challenge our audience but we also need to challenge ourselves to know that whatever our new experiences are, we can write about them, be creative and bring that to an audience without them feeling alienated,” he says.

Long-time Talib Kweli followers will say the same thing about him. Since his stellar debut with Mos Def as Black Star, Kweli has been one of rap’s most exceptional and consistent artists. Released in 2000, Reflection Eternal, the RIAA-certified gold album with Hi-Tek, was one of the most acclaimed albums of the year. In 2002, smash single “Get By,” the biting political commentary “The Proud” and the insightful examination of America’s gun culture on “Gun Music” made Quality a landmark recording and Kweli’s second gold album. Subsequent recordings in 2004 (The Beautiful Struggle) and 2005 (Right About Now) solidified his status as one of rap’s most talented and important voices.

Now, after establishing himself as a rap visionary, Kweli along with long-time manager Corey Smyth launched Blacksmith Music. The pair signed an exclusive deal with Warner Bros. to market, promote, and distribute the music of Blacksmith artists. Following Kweli’s release on Blacksmith/WBR there will be a new solo album from Jean Grae, the critically acclaimed South African-born female rapper who is among the most respected female rappers in the history of the genre. Rolling Stone called her “the best kept secret on New York&..39;s indie hip-hop scene,” while XXL, Spin, Village Voice, URB and others have labeled her an artist to watch. Strong Arm Steady, a forthcoming Blacksmith/WBR release, is a super group whose members are platinum rapper and Pimp My Ride host Xzibit, Los Angeles underground star Phil The Agony, lyrical assassin Krondon and San Diego rap pioneer Mitchy Slick. Strong Arm Steady has been one of the few West Coast acts to build a rabid fanbase through mixtapes.

Kweli hopes Blacksmith will create a movement with Jean Grae and Strong Arm Steady, much as his own music has. “With Blacksmith, I want it to be a flag that everyone can wave,” he says. “I want to be packing shows and I want people to feel like they were up on Jean Grae and Strong Arm Steady before anybody else was.”

In the mean time, the lyrically and sonically potent Ear Drum demonstrates that strong, powerful messages can serve as the backbone for music at its best. “The vast majority of my subject matter focuses on black self-love, black self esteem, black self worth,” Kweli says. “That translates to other communities because if you’re a human being, it doesn’t matter what color you’re talking about. You’ve been through some sort of struggle and you can apply it to your own life.”

DJ NOTION
Who is Notion? He is a dj, graphic artist & promoter
to name a few of his skills. But those are just titles & classifying
Notion with 1 title or category is just not possible.

Over the years, he has had the opportunity to do design
work & share the stage with many of HipHop’s greats including:

He is also the co-founder of the austin based, musicNmind.
Responsible for the organization of countless independent concerts
& tours across texas featuring the best of national & regional artists.

OT23
Lord Higgs and BMC identified with hip hop culture and its
beautiful sound at very young ages. As their passion for the
hip hop culture deepened, their volumes of lyrics amassed.

Higgs hails from Orange Texas and BMC, an Austin native from 78723.
It wasn’t until 2004 when the two emcees met at
Stephen F. Austin University in Nagodoches, Texas
and began their journey as OT23. Immediately after writing
their first rap together, they knew they had ignited a fire.

Since then, the duo has performed live shows all throughout Texas.
Working alongside, musicNmind & DJ Notion, OT23 has opened
for artists such as, DJ Abilities of Rhymesayers Ent., Qwel and Maker,
Killah Priest of Sunz of Man/ Wu-Tang, Sole & Jel from Anticon,
Sleep of Old Dominion/ Chicharrones, Darktime Sunshine
Busdriver, Aceyalone from Project Blowed, Riddlore of CVE & more

The crew self-released an EP in 2005 and a single,
N4N/Knucklebreakers, in 2007.
They have also collaborated with several artists including
Stormshadow, Elemental Dialect, The Vultures, DJ Aspekt,
King Art, Mad-One, and have worked with producers such
as Ruler Why, Dylon Camero & NIP.

Released in November 2010, OT23’s first album
‘Supernova’ contains hard-hitting beats, aggressive lyrics,
and ‘headphone music.’ As Lord Higgs puts it, “We’re like chopped up
chunks of Goodie Mob in a broth of Fugazi.” Educated from the
University and from the streets, subject matter in the album covers
everything from the International Monetary Fund to inequality.

A second album ‘No Clip Full Enough’ is set to release in early 2013!

for booking & press, please contact:
booking@musicNmind.net

SUBKULTURE PATRIOTS
The concepts and ideology of the SubKulture Patriots were created by Brian Tanton aka “The Brain”.
In November of 2010 he linked up with Cap’n Kirk aka AK a former member of Diasporic and the Anti-Gravity Crew.
RuDi Devino a member of the Short Bus Alumni and HBZ aka Boo Radley from the critically acclaimed Spin Alley.
The result was a group of like minded emcees with one common goal; to share their music with the world.